The invention relates generally to marine propulsion devices and, more particularly, to marine propulsion devices adapted for propelling sailboats which are commonly steered by a rubber located either under the hull or behind the transom.
In the past, outboard motors have sometimes been mounted on the transom of a sailboat, but, in general, such mounting has been relatively inaccessible, and consequently, the steering capability of the outboard motor was seldom used and the propeller was often undesirably trailed in the water when the boat was under sail. In addition, in instances when the rudder was mounted on the transom, the outboard motor had to be mounted to one side in an inefficient location.
Attention is directed to the following U.S. patents:
Jeanson--U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,614 issued Mar. 13, 1979 PA0 Krautkremer--U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,841 issued Aug. 15, 1972 PA0 Adams--U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,343 issued May 7, 1974 PA0 Moberg--U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,702 issued June 1, 1971 PA0 Roberts--U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,705 issued Aug. 30, 1977 PA0 Wagner--U.S. Pat. No. 3,096,959 issued July 9, 1963 PA0 Forbes--U.S. Pat. No. 2,908,242 issued Oct. 13, 1959 PA0 Briggs--U.S. Pat. No. 2,178,555 issued Nov. 7, 1939 PA0 Corcoran--U.S. Pat. No. 1,800,135 issued Apr. 7, 1931